Held in July, Narita Gion Matsuri Festival has ornate floats pulled on the streets of Narita and to Narita-san temple. Pulling a float on the street

Pulling the float, Narita Gion Matsuri

Tired from walking, Narita Gion Matsuri

Narita Gion Matsuri

Narita Gion Matsuri

Side entrance to Narita-san temple.

Offering prayers at Narita Gion Matsuri

Gathering at Narita-san temple

Prayers at Narita-san

Narita Gion Matsuri

Main stage at Narita-san temple.

Narita-san during Narita Gion Festival

1 comments

Main stage at Narita-san temple.On Saturday evening, the festival climaxes with a free show on the main stage. The best taiko troupes from Japan and overseas performed for 2 hours.

Narita Gion Matsuri

Drum troupe from S. Korea

Taiko troupe from OkinawaThis group stole the show with a dragon dance, lion dogs, and eisa taiko drummers.

Last group

Narita-san Shinshoji Temple is Chiba Prefecture's most famous temple. Belonging to the Shingon Buddhist Sect, it holds many of Narita's major festivals such as Setsubun. Four buildings are also Important Cultural Properties.A short walk from JR and Keisei Narita Stations.

Map of Narita-san temple buildings.

Narita-san is a large temple complex that includes a Japanese garden, including cherry blossoms.

About Narita-san temple.

Somon Gate is what you first see, Narita-san's main gate. 総門

Next is Niomon Gate, an Important Cultural Property built in 1830. 仁王門

Going through Niomon Gate which has a large paper lantern.

Going through Niomon Gate which has a large paper lantern.

This is on Setsubun day, Feb. 3. Very crowded.

The Dai-hondo main hall of Narita-san temple. 大本堂

Narita-san Dai-hondo main worship hall. These people are waiting to see the taiko drum performance. 大本堂

Incense burner in front of the main hall.

Narita-san priests

Priests at Narita-san.

Priests enter the temple at Narita-san.

Inside Narita-san Shinshijo temple's Dai-hondo main worship hall.

Connected to the main worship hall is the East Wing.

East Wing

The East Wing sells talismans.

Narita-san's Three-story Pagoda, an Important Cultural Property

Narita-san's Three-story Pagoda was first built in 1712.

Shotoku Taishi Hall built in 1992.

About Shotoku Taishi Hall.

Issaikyodo Hall (Buddhist Scriptures Hall) 一切経堂

About Issaikyodo Hall (Buddhist Scriptures Hall) 一切経堂

Bell Tower first built in 1701.

About the Bell Tower

Talisman for sale

Prayer tablets

Prayer tablet at Narita-san. Fudo-myoo is depicted.

Prayer tablet at Narita-san. Fudo-myoo is depicted.

Narita-san Park has a Japanese garden, quite scenic in spring with cherry blossoms.

Narita-san Park cherry blossoms. The park opened in 1928. 成田山公園

Narita-san Park's Ukimido Floating Hall

Narita-san Park's Ukimido Floating Hall

Narita-san Park's Ukimido Floating Hall

Turtles huddle for sunshine.

Cherry blossom grove

Tower of Peace, Narita-san Heiwa no Daito, built in 1984. 平和の大塔

Tower of Peace, Narita-san Heiwa no Daito 平和の大塔

Komyodo Hall, Important Cultural Property at Narita-san. Built in 1701 and dedicated to the Dainichi Nyorai Buddha, the principal image of Shingon Buddhism. 光明堂

Most people came to see the celebrities throwing the beans for mamemaki. They included sumo wrestlers Yokozuna Hakuho, Ozeki Kisenosato, Baruto, and Okinoumi. Also Haruka Ayase, Ayame Goriki, Kotaro Koizumi and other stars of the current NHK Taiga Drama.

The path to Shinshoji has sculptures of the oriental zodiac. 2013 is the year of the snake.

People streaming to Shinshoji for the Setsubun bean throwing festival.

From the train station, the main path to Narita-san is lined with shops and restaurants. The buildings look more traditional as you get closer to the temple.

Normally, you can enter the temple up the steps straight from Niomon Gate, but it was blocked off and we had to use the steps on the right.

Jam-packed since Feb. 3 fell on a Sunday this year in 2013.

Finally in the central grounds of the temple. It was packed like a rush-hour Tokyo train.

I arrived just before 11 am which was too late to get close to the bean throwers.

The mamemaki bean-throwing ceremony was held three times. The first time was at 11 am. I was way too far away from the bean throwers.

There's a ceremony first inside the temple.

After the ceremony, the bean throwers came outside.

Most of use didn't get any beans. It was the first time I didn't get any beans from a Setsubun festival.

These are non-celebrities. They threw the beans for about a minute. Very short.

After throwing the beans, they clapped their hands.

After throwing beans the first session, the bean throwers started leaving. First the sumo wrrstlers, then the actresses/actors. Haruka Ayase is behind the wrestlers here.

So much for the first bean-throwing ceremony. I was just too far away because I arrived late.

Shinshoji's main hall is decorated with Buddhist colors and red and white.

Since I came all the way out here, I decided to stay and see the second bean-throwing ceremony at 1:30 pm.

Meanwhile, I joined many others to worship inside the temple's main hall.

People streaming into the temple's main hall.

People streaming into Narita-san Shinshoji temple's main hall.

Inside the main hall, people pray and throw money. It must like this during New Year's too. Setsubun is actually like New Year's Eve.

Already, hordes of people stand and wait for the second bean-throwing session 2 hours later.

This is how close you have to be to the platform to get any beans.

This side was more crowded because that's where the celebrities would throw beans. Press cameramen were also on this side.

Names of the celebrity bean throwers.

I stood and waited for about 90 min. until 1:30 pm. Glad I brought lunch (riceballs).

In-between the bean-throwing sessions, they held a different ceremony, called "Kaiun mamemaki" (開運豆まき), inside the main hall. They paraded into the temple at around 12:30 pm.

The people (no celebrities) participating in Kaiun mamemaki had a group photo taken. Anybody could join this by paying 10,000 yen.

The ceremony inside the temple had sutra chanting while there was a fire started by a priest and used to heat the bean boxes given to the bean throwers. They threw beans at the altar, not to any people.

We all patiently waited. But things happened so it made the time go by faster. Fortunately, the weather was good.

Finally, the celebrity bean throwers arrived again and first posed for a group photo before going inside the temple for the ceremony.

There she is at the center, actress Haruka Ayase who plays the title role of 2013's NHK Taiga Drama, "Yae no Sakura."

Celebrity bean throwers wave as they enter the temple for the Setsubun ceremony.

The ceremony was broadcast outside so we could hear it. There was some chanting and announcement of the names of the bean throwers.

They also start a fire inside the temple to which they expose the bean boxes to be used by the bean throwers.

They had this altar decoration with small branches from a tree in Tohoku. The bean throwing would also be about "throwing out hardship" in Tohoku. 特別追儺豆まき式

After the ceremony which took about 20 min., they came out of the temple and took their places for bean throwing. This is Baruto.

Actress Haruka Ayase comes out of the temple.

Baruto and Haruka Ayase proceed to their places.

At left is Ayame Goriki, another actress, comes out of the temple.

Baruto at Naritasan Shinshoji for Setsubun on Feb. 3, 2013.

Baruto and Yokozuna Hakuho.

The crowd try desperately to get a shot of Haruka Ayase. I was shooting blind as I raised my camera in the air to shoot. Narita-san Shinshoji temple Setsubun bean throwing.

Haruka Ayase posed for us for a while.

Haruka Ayase is in the title role of Yae Niijima in this year's NHK Taiga Drama.

"Yae no Sakura" is about a woman warrior named Yae Niijima (1845-1932) from Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture...Aizu-Wakamatsu is famous for Tsurugajo Castle and as the site of a Boshin War battle between pro-Emperor forces and pro-shogun forces who lost. Yae was on the latter side. After the war, she fought for equality for women and mastered English well enough to help with the English typesetting of Kyoto's earliest English guidebooks (written by her brother and translated into English by a translator).
Her husband Joseph Hardy Neesima or Jo Niijima had studied in the US and founded a Christian school which became the prestigious Doshisha University in Kyoto.

They had men from a security company to control the crowds. Except for one or two people who felt ill, there was no major incident.

The police and security people were most fearful of people falling like dominos. They kept shouting to not push forward. And to not pick up beans on the ground. I agree that it's dangerous to pick up beans on the ground.

The crowds make their way into the main hall.

Inside the main hall. The altar area is behind a glass wall. Photography was not allowed inside. Impressive altar where they have a Goma prayer fire ritual every day.

Buy this 500-yen charm and 100 yen will be donated to the city of Rikuzen-Takada in Tohoku.

Crowd dispersing.

Bean-throwing platform.

At around 3:30 pm, people started to gather for the day's third and final bean-throwing by ordinary folks.

People line up for lucky beans.

The press cameramen who were on this platform were all gone after the 2nd bean-throwing session.

Office where you can apply to be a Kaiun mamemaki bean thrower for 10,000 yen.

I was too tired to stick around for the last bean-throwing ceremony.

There is a small space between the platform and crowd.

Bean-throwing platform.

Daruma dolls on a truck.

Walking back to the train station.

Poster for Setsubun in Feb. 2001. The following photos are from Feb. 3, 2001.